My Sony OCF setup with budget options

What I use for off camera flash with my Sony cameras

Welcome to Sony, now you need some lighting and are wondering what to get? Well, here is a list what I use and like for OCF and where to get them with the best customer support, free setup assistance and super helpful FB group on OCF and super fast shipping.

This is the the tt685s. Works off camera as a slave, or on camera as a master.

The Godox V1 is my new favorite. Just like the tt685 it can work on-camera as a controller/master to control my off camera flashes and it can be off-camera as a slave.

These are my all time favorites, the Godox ad200. They’re little strobes that are quite portable. They are not camera brand specific. They work as off camera flash for any brand of camera. You just need the camera specific controller to be able to make it work.

All the info is on the back end of an ad200. Here’s where you set it to it’s channel and group. Oh, one thing that was tricky for me, was finding the on/off switch. It’s a slim switch you slide on the right while looking at the back end.

Controllers

This is the Xpro controller for Sony. It does more tricks than I’ve even learned yet. I like it the most and find I choose the xPro over the x2t.

This is the X2ts Controller. I like this one a lot because it gives me the flexibility to have no flash on camera and still control my off camera lighting, or add an on-camera flash if I wish.

How to hitch it to a light stand

The ad200 comes with this widget/cold shoe to attach it to the top of your light stands. I’m not a huge fan, there isn’t a lot of ability to adjust angle and direction with it.

I like this S-Bracket better. It’s Bowens mount, so if you have any Bowens mount soft boxes they work on this too!

It hitches easily in there looking like this.

Modifiers

This is the fun stuff! This is the Godox AK-R1 Accessory Kit I think it’s kind of like magmod accessories only lighter and costs less. Each of these have magnets and can be stacked on top of each other for however you want to use them. They attach onto the Godox round head on the V1, or to make them work on all my flashes and strobes I got the little adapter below.

The inexpensive round head adapter. Works on normal speed lights or the Godox ad200.

It looks like this on the ad200.

Then you can pop on the different modifiers and gels. pictured here is a CTO gel. CTO gel is good for fighting with indoor warm lighting, or outdoors at night, I’ll sometimes use it to make my sky look bluer and skintones of the couple nice and warm. What’s CTO? it stands for color temperature orange. That’s it! nothing exotic or technical at all.

This is a Snoot. it just looks like a collapsible rubber funnel. It’s probably one of my favorites to use when I want some light in a certain spot, and not spilling everywhere.

I used the snoot here. You can see the light hitting them only in a small area on them and not the ground.

Fun fact: You can really make a Snoot out of a rolled up piece of cardboard and tape.

These are called Barn doors. They’re great for directing light.

Left the light is spilling everywhere. I actually like it better. Right is with the barn doors restricting the light spill a lot.

This is the bounce card from the Godox AK-R1 Accessory Kit. I normally use the white side with the dome diffuser for my on-camera fill flash. If you use the V1, it has built-in magnets and these modifiers just snap on.

Ballin’ on a budget?

If you’re just starting and don’t want to spend a lot yet, or overwhelm yourself in learning a whole bunch at once. Try getting a couple of the tt685s If you’re a canon user get the tt685c, if Nikon get the tt685n. Set one to master, put that one on your camera. Set the others to slaves. make sure you’re on the same Channel, turn on the groups you want and set their power output. And you’re in business!

Important: set it to radio, not optical. Optical can’t talk to the flash if something is blocking the line of sight. Radio can fire the off camera flash through people, walls, in another room.

The Difference between the ad200 and the TT685

The light in the right corner is an ad200, the light in the left corner is a tt685. So you can see 1/32nd power for each of these is different. Actually, for all I can remember I may have had the tt685 set at 1/64th power. Never mind, this probably isn’t a fair comparison. The pluses to an ad200 is its just a more powerful light and recycles a lot faster.

Same room, and here I’ve adjusted the power up to light things the way I like.

How to link an XPro to a ad200

watch this video

Alternately, if you want something in between, and don’t want to have to deal with aa batteries look at the Godox V860ii or the Godox V1

What Controller I use, when and why

For a wedding reception on a camera body with a wide angle lens I’ll use the v1 on camera for fill light with the dome and bounce card and of course use it to control my off-camera lighting as well.

On my other camera I’ll use the xPro with a long lens. I don’t need on-camera fill light on a long lens as it generally won’t reach my subject anyway.

Flash power settings

I often get asked what power I set my lighting at. It all depends on the ambient lighting and what I’m trying to do. For generally lighting a reception room this is exactly how I start with my wider angles lens and fill flash with the V1.

on-camera for fill in TTL -1.0 Yup, I want my fill to not be as strong as my OCF lighting.
I start with my ad-200s at 128th power. If I’m using a tt685 I’ll probably start at 1/64th power

From this starting point I take a test shot and I adjust up or down my camera settings, light power, direction, or placement/distance to what I want.

Why TTL for the on-camera fill flash?

I like it when I’m constantly changing my distance from my subjects. I always leave my OCF on manual.

Trouble shooting tips

If your flash starts firing multiple flashes when you only click your shutter once: You’re in Multi mode. You likely don’t want to be there. HOW TO GET OUT: on the V1 click the bottom of the scrolly wheel dial. On the xPro click the Mode button without activating any channel.
If your lights wont fire: Move away a little and see if it will work, you might be too close.
If they still won’t fire. Try the test button on the controller. If it fires the flash, your problem is your connection to the camera. Re-attach it in the hot shoe.

Where I get my lighting

I get all this stuff from Tim of Flashgear.net I like him because 1, he speaks English, is in the USA,has a good warranty on products purchased from him, is a photographer himself, replies to my questions when I ask what should I get to work with XXX existing gear I already own. Ships super fast even when he’s sick. He hosts this helpful group, Speedlight and Strobe Fundamentals. A beginners guide to learning OCF on facebook.

But if you like to do all your shopping from amazon see below for the links